Cracks in the Crystal
by LittleTayy
Summary: "No," he told her, "I can barely fucking look at you Stephanie. I honestly want nothing to do with you right now," he snapped at her, jaw clenching tightly. He gave her one last hurt and angry look before grabbing his coat and making his way out of the house, trying not to slam the door as he did.
1. Chapter 1

_Cracks in the Crystal_

_One _

* * *

Paul stopped eating as he heard Stephanie and her father talking, frowning as he heard a particular name he didn't want to hear. A quick succession of mental images flashed before his eyes, ones he tried to ignore even as his hand balled into a fist around his glass of water. He took a deep breath closing his eyes for a moment as he tried desperately not to let anyone around the dinner table see that something was wrong.

"Dad, can we not talk about Randy or the business right now please," he heard Stephanie say and that was it. Hearing that little son of a bitches name out of his wife's mouth was enough to make him lose it. He needed to leave before he ended up saying something he would regret in front of his daughters and the rest of Stephanie's family.

He pushed out of his seat abruptly, "I'm sorry, I can't do this," he let out gruffly before glancing apologetically over at Vince and Linda.

Paul could feel the anger and hurt bubbling up inside him as he walked out of the dining room without a glance at anyone else in the room. He heard Aurora ask him where he was going but he honestly couldn't stay in this house, sitting beside her like nothing was wrong. He made it all the way into the hallway before he heard his wife calling his name and despite himself he stopped in his tracks, his back facing Stephanie tensely.

"Paul…" she started hesitantly, "Where are you going?" she asked pleadingly, stepping closer to him.

The semi-retired wrestler turned around to face her angrily, face tingeing red as he glared at his wife. "Where am I going? Away from here, away from _you _before I say something I regret in front of your family," he growled, careful not to raise his voice too loud. This may have been a big house but he knew voices carried and this was not something he or his wife wanted anyone else to hear right now. Especially with how angry Paul was right now; in fact he was surprised by how civil he'd been able to be up until this point.

"Paul please don't do this," Stephanie practically begged, stepping closer to her husband and reaching out a hand to touch him. He shrugged her hand away however, taking a step back from her and shook his head. He could hardly stand to look at her right now, let alone touch her.

"No," he told her, "I can barely fucking look at you Stephanie. I honestly want nothing to do with you right now," he snapped at her, jaw clenching tightly. He gave her one last hurt and angry look before grabbing his coat and making his way out of the house, trying not to slam the door as he did.

Stephanie stared at the closed front door of her parents' house before sighing sadly and turning back down the hallway. She made her way somewhat slowly towards the dining room, knowing she'd have to deal with not only her parent's questions but her girls' questions too. The wrestling executive didn't even want to try explaining it to her parents, let alone figuring out what she was going to tell her probably very confused daughters.

She wiped at her eyes, making sure any wetness that had gathered was gone before stepping back in to the dining room. She quickly scanned over her mother and father's faces before turning her attention to the three frowning little girls. Aurora was looking at her curiously while the younger two seemed more upset than anything that their father had left suddenly.

"Where'd dad go?" Aurora asked, looking inexplicably like her father for a moment.

Stephanie tried to smiled comfortingly as she answered, "Your dad's just a little tired and not feeling well, so he's gone home to rest. Okay?" All three of the girls nod, seemingly okay with that answer but sneaking a glance at her mom and dad, she knows they weren't so easily satisfied. She caught her mother's gaze, an eyebrow raised in question as to what's going on but she shakes her head. She couldn't tell her mother, even though she wanted desperately to know what to do; she really was her father's daughter it seemed.

Dinner went along in an awkward kind of silence and Stephanie couldn't wait to get out of there. As soon as dinner was finished she thanked her parents and tried to get the girls ready to leave. Unfortunately for her the girls wanted to play with their grandfather and despite the emotional turmoil she and her husband were going through at the moment she couldn't deny them that time.

So as her father swept her three little girls into the lounge room to play, her mother forced her into the kitchen under the guise of helping clean up. She stood in front of the sink studiously washing the dirty dishes by hand even though her parents had a dishwasher, trying to avoid the inevitable questioning by her mother. She could feel her mom's gaze on her and deliberately avoided turning to look at the older woman.

"Is everything okay Stephanie?" Linda asked in that tone only mothers' could use on their children.

Stephanie sighed at the question, tears burning at her eyes as she thought over the simple words. No, everything was not okay. This could potentially be the end of her marriage but she could not and did not want to admit that to her mother. She took a deep breath though, trying to hide the fact that she was so close to breaking down right now.

"Everything is fine mom. Paul and I are just going through a bit of a rough patch is all," she tells her, eyes focused on washing the plate in her hand. She didn't like lying to her mom but the truth was just not something she was willing to acknowledge at the moment.

"Are you sure? Because it's not like Paul to just leave like that," Linda replied looking over her daughter carefully.

"We'll be fine mom," Stephanie insisted as she turned to finally look at her mother. "Don't worry okay? Everything will sort itself out," she said confidently, trying desperately to believe her own words. The thought of Paul leaving her was devastating and she knew without a doubt that she'd do anything in her power to make sure that it didn't happen ever. She loved Paul more than she could possibly explain and she was not about to let her stupidity ruin everything they'd built together and tear their family apart.

* * *

_AN: This is the second wrestling fic I've ever written. The idea wouldn't leave me alone and considering I've been making good progress on A Beautiful Mess I thought why not write this out and post it too? I just want to point out that this is obviously all fiction and as far as I know not true at all. I really just like writing about these two and what can I say, I like to make characters suffer. _

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and please review. :) LT._


	2. Chapter 2

_Cracks in the Crystal_

_Two _

* * *

Stephanie's heart clenched tightly as she pulled up into their driveway and saw Paul's car was nowhere to be found. She turned off the ignition, her hands tightening on the steering wheel as she turned her head to gaze back over her three children. She was glad to see that all three girls were asleep but knew that to get them all inside she'd have to wake them up and they would ask where their father was.

Sighing she turned in her seat, stretching her arm out to gently shake awake both Aurora and Murphy. The two girls blinked awake, gazing at their mother sleepily as she explained to them that they were home. She got out of the car then, opening the door for them both and helping them out of the car before walking around to get a sleeping Vaughn out of her booster seat.

Once all the girls were out of the car she closed the doors and locked them, ushering the girls up to the front door of their home. She held her 4 year old awkwardly in her arms as she struggled a little to open the front door, eventually getting it open after several moments of fumbling. She turned on the hallway light as she locked the door behind her and punched in the security code, hoping none of her daughters asked for Paul.

Luck wasn't on her side however when Murphy spoke tiredly, "I want daddy to tuck me in," she told her mother, as Stephanie ushered them towards their bedrooms. The wrestling executive cringed at her words, knowing without a doubt that Paul wasn't home; she actually had no idea where he was.

"Daddy is sleeping Murph. Remember he's not feeling well?" she told her middle child, shifting Vaughn to her other hip as they all walked down the hallway. "You two go get your PJs on while I put Vaughn to bed, please," she instructed them as she pushed her youngest daughters bedroom door open.

The two older girls headed to their rooms, Murphy pouting sleepily the whole way. Stephanie shook her head, placing her youngest on her bed and stripping her of her clothes. She quickly got the little girl changed and tucked her in, pressing a kiss to her forehead sadly. The 4 year old looked so peaceful in her sleep and the wrestling executive couldn't help but wonder how long those peaceful looks would last on her children's faces.

She flicked on her nightlight as she made her way out of the room, crossing the hall to Murphy's room and smiling sadly as she saw her middle child in bed, a Triple H t-shirt firmly in her grasp. Murphy really was a daddy's girl and Stephanie couldn't help but wonder what would happen to their beautiful daughters if they separated. She could only imagine how hard it'd be for Murphy to only see her dad on the weekends; that was if Paul didn't fight for full custody of the girls.

The brunette quickly shook her head at the thoughts as she tucked her daughter in. No, she and Paul were not going to divorce; she was going to try with everything she had to keep her family together and repair the damage she'd inflicted. She was pulled from her thoughts though when she heard the tired voice of her daughter asking for her daddy again.

"I want daddy to tuck me in," she whines sleepily, frowning at her mother.

"I know baby girl but daddy is sleeping," Stephanie tells her softly. Murphy frowns deeper but doesn't say anything else as Steph tucks her in properly and kisses her goodnight. "Goodnight, love you," she says as she leaves the room quietly.

She tucks Aurora into bed too before heading towards her own room, hesitating at the door for a moment. She knows Paul isn't here but there's a ridiculous part of her that hopes she's wrong and he actually is. Her heart sinks as she opens the door, shutting it behind her when she realizes that there are certain things missing within the bedroom.

Stephanie's heart skips a beat as she walks over to their walk in closet and notices one of his duffel bags missing and several items of his clothing. He most definitely hadn't taken those things the night before when he'd stormed out which meant he had come back home before leaving again.

She shut the closet door quickly, tears pooling in her eyes. She changed into her own sleepwear, a knot forming in her stomach as she made her way over to their large empty bed, climbing in sadly. Paul was gone and it scared her but she knew he'd at least be back; he hadn't taken enough clothes to last being away long and he'd never go a day without seeing his girls if he could help it. She fell asleep hugging his pillow, breathing in his scent and regretting most of her actions in the last several months.

* * *

Paul sat on the edge of his hotel bed, head in his hands as the television in front of him played some random comedy he didn't know the name of. He was still in the clothes he'd left Vince and Linda's in; too tired and overwhelmed to think about changing. His mind was still inexplicably on the night before and the conversation he'd had with Stephanie.

Anger seemed to be the dominant emotion bubbling up inside him, pushing aside the hurt he was trying desperately to bury. His mind couldn't help but to conjure up mental images of his wife and…that little fucker she'd admitted to sleeping with. In all their 14 years together he had never once doubted her faithfulness to him or even entertained the idea that she would betray him in such a way.

He didn't understand how she could have done this to him, to them. He loved her more than life itself, he had done so for almost 14 years of his life and he had always thought that that had be reciprocated. Apparently it hadn't though. He couldn't not wonder if it was somehow his fault; had he not paid her enough attention? Had he pushed her into the arms of another man? What had he done to cause her to betray her vows? As much as he wanted answers to his questions he also really didn't want to know at all.

The part time wrestler growled angrily, standing up and pacing back and forth in front of the bed restlessly. He was exhausted really, the emotional and mental turmoil was finally taking its toll and he stripped off his clothes angrily before sinking into the unfamiliar bed in his pajamas. He tossed and turned as he tried to sleep, replaying the night before and the events leading up to their confrontation over and over in his mind.

_Paul stood stoic in front of their bed as Stephanie fidgeted nervously across from him. His hands rested in clenched fists against his waist as he tried to control his breathing, knowing that whatever was about to happen probably wasn't going to be good. Stephanie looked extremely upset and Paul thought he knew what was about to come, even though he hoped with everything that he was wrong about what he thought she wanted to say. _

"_Paul," she started, sending a watery smile his way, "You know I love you. So much and this has been killing me… I don't know how it happened but…I…I slept with someone," she admits so quietly Paul thought he hadn't heard her right. _

"_Who?" he growls out after a moment, his worst suspicions being confirmed. Part of him wished she hadn't told him at all, that way he could pretend that she was still the loving, faithful wife he wanted to so desperately to see her as again._

_Stephanie shook her head, stepping closer to him, trying to reach out a hand to touch him. He pushes her hand away however, glaring at her as the hurt was quickly replaced by anger at the fact that she had actually cheated on him. "Who was it huh? Who the hell did you let fuck you?" he hissed angrily, very aware of the fact that his daughters were sleeping just down the hallway. _

_He noticed how his _wife _flinched at his angry words and he honestly couldn't bring himself to care. He saw the tears spilling down her cheeks and despite his anger he wanted to comfort her, to dry her tears even as his own pooled in his eyes. Paul of course pushed those thoughts away, instead choosing to focus on the anger coursing through his system at this not so unexpected revelation. _

_After a moment she finally spoke, "Randy. It was Randy," she whispered, a hand coming up to wipe at her tears as she watched her obviously devastated husband. _

"_I can't fucking believe you," he breathed, shaking his head. He had had his suspicions for a few weeks but to have it actually confirmed was a whole other matter to deal with. Just looking at Stephanie at the moment was causing his blood to boil and before he knew it he was pushing past her roughly, heading out of their bedroom angrily. _

"_Where are you going?" she asked panicked as she followed him out of their bedroom. _

_He got all the way to the front door before answering her, "Away from here, from you before I do or say something I'll fucking regret Stephanie," he spat at her. "Did you really think I was just going to stay here and talk it out with you right now?" he scoffed, shaking his head. _

_Paul grabbed his coat, wallet and keys before pushing open the door and making his way towards his car. He honestly couldn't stay in that house with her right now. He was hurt and angry and right now he wanted absolutely nothing to do with Stephanie at all. He pulled out of their driveway and drove off, not knowing where he was going as he finally let the tears he'd been holding back fall. _

* * *

_AN: Here is chapter 2! I wrote this in maybe only an hour and a half, I had a very clear idea of how I wanted this chapter to go. The only reason the update took so long was because I wanted to update ABM before this. We've got both Paul and Stephanie's thoughts in this chapter as well as a little flashback that hopefully makes it clear what the situation is. Also, I just wanted to clarify that this all takes place in 2014, current timeline. _

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and please review! :) LT._


	3. Chapter 3

_Cracks in the Crystal_

_Three _

* * *

Sunlight peeks through the curtains, washing through the room causing Stephanie's eyes to flutter open lazily. Her mind is hazy as she rolls over, reaching an arm out to hug Paul beside her. Except her hand hits empty space, falling to the cold sheets of the space next to her where her husband ought to be.

Her eyes widen in alarm before her brain finally catches up with her and she remembers that Paul hadn't come home last night. In fact, this was the second morning in a row she'd woken up without her husband beside her and it caused her heart to clench. Obviously she had no one else to blame but herself and it made her just want to curl up and cry. This whole situation was her doing and she wanted desperately to fix it but how could she when Paul couldn't even stand to be in the same house as her?

Stephanie lay there in their bed, wallowing in self-pity for several long moments. She knew she should get up and get started with the day but her heart just didn't want too. It wasn't until she heard the familiar lisp of her four year old talking excitedly that she was prompted to pull her self up and out of bed. The wrestling executive dragged herself out of bed, pulling on her robe and heading towards the sound of her daughter.

Getting downstairs and into the kitchen she frowned when she saw all three of her girls sitting at the table, breakfast in front of them. She wondered how they'd managed to serve themselves; she had slept a little later than usual and now she was very, very confused as to what was going on. Until she heard the deep voice of her husband, causing her eyes to widen as her head shot up to look over into the kitchen at the breakfast bar.

"Paul?" she said without thinking, catching the attention of her youngest in the process.

"Mommy!" Vaughn exclaimed excitedly, "Daddy made breakfast," she continued, grinning at her mother as she bounced slightly in her seat.

It took Stephanie a moment before she grinned at her child, stepping fully into the room. "I can see that. What did he make?" she asked, though the question was more aimed at her husband.

He glanced up at her stonily, face hard as he looked at her before turning back to what he had been doing. Stephanie deflated, even as Murphy replied happily about how yummy the pancakes their father had made were. She nodded, slipping in to the seat beside her eldest, pouring herself a glass of the juice in the middle of the table.

"Daddy is you going to give mommy her pancakes?" Vaughn asked through a mouthful of the fluffy breakfast food.

"Course baby girl," Paul replied a little gruffly, grabbing a plate and placing a few pancakes on it. He made his way over to Stephanie, placing them on the table in front of her silently, doing his best not to touch her or catch her eye in any way. Stephanie felt the tears well up in her eyes at the cold treatment but repressed them quickly, not wanting to start crying in the middle of breakfast and especially not with her girls around.

The family of five ate awkwardly, only broken up by the random chattering of the two youngest children. Stephanie watched a little concerned as Aurora ate her breakfast quietly before retreating to her room to get ready for the day with barely a word. It was obvious that something was wrong with her firstborn and Stephanie just hoped it had nothing to do with what was going on between she and Paul.

Paul finished washing up all the dirty dishes and Stephanie ushered the girls out of the kitchen and upstairs to get dressed for the day. They stood awkwardly for a moment; Paul tense and guarded as Stephanie crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously.

"We need to talk-…" she started before getting cut off by the older man.

"I better get Rora and Murph to ballet," he said over her words, glancing at her for only a second before walking out of the kitchen.

"Paul please," Stephanie called tiredly to the blonde man as he walked away from her. She watched as he stopped in his tracks and she could see his shoulders move as he obviously took a deep breath. She followed in his footsteps, moving to stand in front of him so he had to look at her. "We need to talk," she insisted softly, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear nervously.

The wrestler shook his head, "Not now Stephanie," he told her tiredly. "I can barely look at you. I'll spend the day with the girls but once they're asleep I'm going back to the hotel. I never thought it'd be this way Steph…but it hurts just being near you right now and I'm still angry. So just…not now. I can't talk to you because I am so close to just saying fuck it and filing for a divorce. Do you understand?" he sighed; voice gruff and she could tell immediately he'd had barely any sleep the night before. "I wanna be here sleeping beside you but this is your fault. You did this to us," he continued a little angrily.

He released a puff of air as he shook his head, trying not to get too emotional or upset at the moment. Today was about being here and spending time with his daughters, not the clusterfuck of a marriage he and Stephanie had fallen into. It hurt him to be so cold towards her and to speak as harshly as he was but he knew if he didn't he'd break down and cry and at the moment, that was one thing he did not want to do in front of her. She had broken his trust, broken their vows and destroyed their faithfulness in each other and it was going to take a lot of time and work to rebuild; if they even could.

* * *

_AN: So yes, this is quite a lot shorter than the last chapter but I just felt like that was a good place to end. Plus, I didn't really have much else to add onto this. It's definitely a filler chapter but with some important information within it I guess. _

_I hope you enjoyed. Please review. :) LT._


	4. Chapter 4

_Cracks in the Crystal_

_Four _

* * *

Sunday passed similar to Saturday with Paul arriving to their home at some ungodly hour in the morning to be there before the girls woke up and then leaving soon after they were put to sleep. It was lucky really that none of the girls had woken during the night and sought comfort within their parents' bed. Stephanie knew it'd be a hard thing to explain to tired little girls in the middle of the night.

Now though it was Monday, which meant Monday Night Raw was that evening. Luckily for them it wasn't too far away, only in New York a short plane ride away, even shorter with the use of the company jet. Stephanie was apprehensive though, she knew they could keep things professional and discreet around everyone else but they were going to be in a confined space with only her father and she knew he'd be able to sense something was wrong.

Walking into the private terminal to board the jet she was surprised to see her father and Paul already waiting for her. It was only just after ten but she had been running late, apparently cutting it close to their departure time. She walked over smiling as her father beckoned her closer, giving him a quick hug and peck on the cheek in greeting. Turning, she was shocked to see Paul holding out a coffee for her, she hadn't been expecting it but apparently old habits died hard.

"Thanks," she said gratefully, leaning up to kiss his cheek as well. She sighed though when she felt him cringe away from her touch. She sincerely hoped her father hadn't noticed that, she was not up to incessant questioning from the elder McMahon.

She stood between them a little awkwardly for several moments before they were finally told the jet was ready to board. She sighed in relief, heading quickly for the plane, climbing on board gratefully. She settled down in a seat, her father choosing to sit across from her, no doubt planning to talk business while they flew.

It was his M.O. trapping her on the plane and then forcing her to have to listen to whatever it was he wanted to talk about just because he knew she couldn't get away. Any other day and she probably would have just dealt with it and paid attention but she knew this was not going to be one of those days. Not when Paul had chosen to sit as far away from her as possible, headphones securely covering his ears.

The jet took off and they were on their way, Vince trying to discuss changes he wanted to make to the final script for Raw that evening. Stephanie however was barely listening; her gaze kept falling to her husband…well, estranged husband now. He was tense, engrossed in whatever was flowing through his headphones; probably something loud and violent. He had barely slept, she could tell just by looking at him that that was the case. She knew her husband inside out and knew he was hurting, more than he'd ever hurt before and it killed her that she couldn't comfort him or take away his pain. No, she couldn't do that because she'd been the one to cause it in the first place.

She sighed, trying to stop the tears welling up in her eyes at the thought of what she'd done to her husband. Stephanie shook her head, turning back to look over at her father and was startled to see that he was staring intensely and curiously at her. Her brow furrowed as he continued to look at her curiously for another moment, making her feel slightly uncomfortable.

"What?" she asked a little impatiently.

"How's Paul?" he asked, gesturing slightly to the other man on the plane.

"He's fine, why?" she asked cautiously, trying to quell the internal panic that was creeping up on her at her dad's question.

"Just checking. You said he was ill on Friday night," Vince continued, leaning back slightly and crossing his arms. His daughter was lying; Paul may not have been ill but there was definitely something going on with him. Neither his daughter nor his son in law was as subtle as they'd like to think.

"Right," she nodded, "Well he's better now," she replied, faking a bright smile at her father, hoping this would be the end of it. Thankfully he seemed to drop it, instead choosing to work on some paperwork. Stephanie followed her father's lead, pulling out her own stack of paperwork, trying very hard to focus and not let her mind stray.

Time passed quickly then and before she knew it they were in New York and on the way to the arena. They were all in work mode now; mild talk of the night to come kept them from too many awkward silences. She and Paul spoke civilly to each other but she could sense the coldness between them and hoped her father didn't sense it too.

Getting to the arena they all got straight to work. Stephanie pushed aside all thoughts of her personal problems; if she let them fester in her mind while she tried to run a live televised show she was sure to make mistakes. It wasn't until they were in the production meeting, doing a quick run through of the script and schedule that they came to the forefront again.

She and Paul were meant to open the show as 'The Authority'. They were supposed to act affectionate and in love; usually that wouldn't be a problem for them at all. Now though, Stephanie cringed. How were they supposed to act blissfully in love and happy when turmoil was crashing down over them?

Even back when they'd first been together on screen they hadn't had to act too much. They had been attracted to each other almost right away and there'd always been chemistry. It was easy to let their true feelings shine through when they were supposed to be playing a happy and in love couple because, well they had been happy and in love back then.

Of course that didn't mean she wasn't in love with Paul now. She was, deeply but what had happened with Randy…she had let lust take over and now she was paying the price. She had never thought for a moment that she could or would fall in love with Randal, her heart belonged to Paul, and it always would. Randy had just gotten under her skin and made her feel things she hadn't meant to and somehow she couldn't seem to stop herself around him.

Still, Paul could barely touch her or look her in the eye for more than a few seconds at a time. The tension and the coldness were killing her but she was glad that they'd been so busy it wasn't noticeable to anyone at all. She was worried that if they had to go out live and act like everything was all peachy it'd be ridiculously obvious that something was wrong between them.

As the meeting finished she tried to shake the worry from her mind. They were professionals, they were husband and wife, and they could go out there and be convincing enough. Stepping out into the hallway she watched for a moment as Paul and her father made their way towards the production trucks before turning the opposite way and heading into the makeshift office she and Paul were to be sharing.

She'd only been in there five or so minutes, just starting to go over a few things on her laptop when a knock sounded on the door. "Come in," she called, still focused on what she was doing for a moment before looking up to see who'd stepped into the office.

She froze for a moment when she saw the one man she really shouldn't be left alone with standing in front of the closed office door. Her mind caught up with her then as she stood, sighing as she placed her glasses down by the laptop and moving around the table. She smiled tightly at the younger man, crossing her arms over her chest to keep herself from reaching out to touch him.

"Was there something you needed Randy?" she asked, keeping her tone professional.

She hadn't spoken to him since Raw the week before and since everything that had happened, she was unsure how to approach him. Stephanie hated to admit it but she hadn't planned on telling Paul that she'd been sleeping with Randy, but she knew that now Paul knew, what had been happening between her and the younger man couldn't continue.

The wrestler shrugged, "Yeah," he replied, a smirk crossing his face, "I needed to see you," he told her, looking her up and down none to conspicuously at all.

Stephanie shook her head, trying to clear her mind of his words and their meaning. She had a suspicion that his feelings for her were deeper than he was letting on and it made her feel guiltier than she had before. She was messing with both of them; leading Randy on, even when she was sure he knew she'd never leave her husband for him.

"Randy we can't do this, not here," she told him as he took a step closer to her. He was right in front of her now and she had to control the urge to reach out and touch him. That didn't stop her gaze however from traveling over his well-toned body, covered up by jeans and a shirt.

"What's wrong?" he asked, a hand coming up to touch her shoulder gently. She looked up at him, shaking her head as she thought about what she wanted to say. A hand moved to press her palm against his chest, intent on pushing him away, wanting to create some space between them. She was stopped however by a deep voice coming from the doorway.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

* * *

Paul walked down the hallway from the production truck towards the makeshift office he and Stephanie were settled in for the night. It had hurt to be so close to his wife and yet be so far but that's the way it had to be right now. He made it to the door of their office, taking a deep breath before he went in, knowing it'd just be him and Stephanie alone.

Pushing open the door he doesn't look up straight away, wanting to avoid her for as long as possible. When he does though he freezes, hands clenching tightly as he takes in the scene before him. Stephanie and Randy fucking Orton standing closely, _touching _each other and he see's red, anger bursting inside of him.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," he growls, body practically vibrating with anger as he takes a step forward, completely inside the room now.

He watches as they both step apart quickly, Stephanie turning to look at him with wide terrified eyes and Randy hurriedly dropping his hand to his hip, as if he hadn't just been touching his wife. He looked between them for a moment, jaw clenching at the guilty look that crossed Stephanie's face before settling on the younger wrestler.

"Paul…uh, hey," he greeted, trying to be casual, trying to act as if he hadn't fucked his wife before.

That was all it took for Paul to lose his cool. He snapped, taking two long strides forward and swinging a clenched fist straight for the younger man's face. He connected with a smack, sending Randy stumbling backwards with surprise.

"Fuck," the other wrestler mumbled, dazed from the surprise assault.

Paul however wasn't finished as he grabbed Randy roughly by the shirt, pulling him up and punching him again. It didn't take long before the two started fighting properly, Paul completely unable to control himself as he laid blow after blow onto the younger man. Paul wasn't the only participant though, Randy managing to land a few punches of his own to his bosses body.

"Paul! Stop it!" he heard Stephanie cry out from behind him but he ignored her, continuing instead to hit at the other man angrily.

Stephanie watched panicked as they crashed into the wall, Paul holding Randy there as he hit at him blindly. "Stop Paul! Let him go," she pleaded frantically as she stepped forward, trying to pull the pair apart. She let out a shocked gasp however as she was pushed roughly away, the edge of the table colliding sharply with the small of her back.

By this point Paul had his arm pressed against Randy's throat tightly, holding him in place. "You stay the fuck away from her," he growled deeply, "Stay away from my wife. Do you understand you little cocksucker?" he practically yelled at him, wanting nothing more than to make him bleed even more than he already was.

"Enough!" he heard a voice yell, deeper than Stephanie's as he was pulled roughly away from the younger man.

He turned around, ready to hit whoever it was but stopped when he realized it was his father in law. The air felt thick in the room as he looked between the other occupants, yanking roughly at his tie as he glared at Stephanie and Randy before pushing passed Vince and storming angrily out of the room.

"Get to the trainers," Vince ordered Orton roughly, pushing the young Superstar out of the office before turning to look at his sobbing daughter. "What the hell is going on Stephanie?" Vince asked, turning to look at his distraught daughter.

* * *

_AN: Hey there! Here is chapter four. Over 2k words for you guys considering the last chapter was on the smaller side. I've already started on the next chapter, so hopefully it won't take as long to update. I mean, I wrote this whole thing out in just a couple hours last night. _

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Please review. :) LT._


	5. Chapter 5

_Cracks in the Crystal_

_Five _

* * *

Stephanie shook her head at her father's question, hands coming up to cover her face. She couldn't believe that that had just happened and she didn't even want to look at her father, knowing she'd have no choice but to explain everything. She couldn't stop the tears from coming, there was no way her father was getting a coherent answer from her any time soon. She was grateful then when he walked over to her and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly.

After several moments of crying on her dad's shoulder, Stephanie began to calm down. She pulled out of the embrace, wiping her hand under her eyes and over her cheeks to get rid of any wetness. She must look a mess she realized, her mascara probably running and her face most likely red. It only added on to the further embarrassment and shame she was feeling.

"You need to check on Paul," she whispered, still not looking her father in the eyes.

"I'll deal with him later," Vince replied gruffly, hands reaching out to hold his daughters shaking hands. "You're my daughter and you're obviously upset. You need me more than he does right now," he told her astutely.

Stephanie shook her head at her father's words, "No I don't," she told him matter-of-factly. "Please daddy, I _need _you to check on Paul. I need you to make sure he's okay," she continues, finally looking at her father pleadingly.

Vince heard the desperation in her voice for him to check on his son in law and nodded. He would check on the other man and then most likely yell at him for getting into a physical fight with one of their top Superstars. As he left the office, casting one last worried glance over his daughter, he tried to tell himself that he wasn't worried over whatever it was Paul and Orton had been fighting over. He tried to tell himself that but he couldn't quite believe it.

* * *

His fist pummeled against the wooden utility door, imagining Orton's face as he hit it. He couldn't fucking believe what he'd walked into. Sure, he'd imagined Orton touching Stephanie, fucking her even but what he'd just seen? That was too fucking intimate to just be about sex.

He punched harder, not caring that his fist was growing sore or that there was a dent slowly growing in the wood. It wasn't until he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning around to yell at whomever it was that he realized he'd probably hurt his hand. It was nowhere near as hurt as his heart though.

"What?" he snapped before realizing that the man stood before him was in fact Vince, his father-in-law.

Vince frowned at the younger man, arms crossed as he glared sternly at the younger man. "What the fuck was that in there Paul?" he asked sharply.

"Why don't you ask your stupid slut of a daughter," he growled angrily, pushing passed Vince. He did not want to do this right now. All he wanted was to get away; from Vince, Stephanie and this while Goddamn place.

"Hey!" Vince snapped angrily. "She is still my daughter," he growled, grabbing at Paul's arm and turning him around roughly.

"Well you and Orton can keep her. She's been fucking him Vince. And apparently has no intention to stop. Say hello to your new son-in-law! I'm not sticking around here with those two little fucks. I'm done. I fucking quit Vince," Paul mouthed off angrily.

He stormed away then, leaving Vince reeling at his words. The last few days and Stephanie's words certainly made sense now. He shook his head in disappointment, sighing as he thought over Stephanie and Paul's actions. He was inclined to believe what Paul had said; the basic evidence he had made it make sense. Besides, he knew the younger man wouldn't be so angry or say those things without having proof. It by no means meant he liked or approved that Paul had called his daughter a slut but he could see how angry and hurt he was.

Vince was however disappointed in his daughter. He'd have thought she'd learned from his mistakes at least. He also didn't understand why Stephanie would cheat on Paul. They went through a lot to be together and he just didn't understand why she would jeopardize their life together. Paul loved Stephanie with everything he was, you could see it plain as day and Stephanie was completely and utterly in love with Paul and he wondered what had changed.

He sighed, shaking his head as he walked back inside. He needed to talk to his daughter about this, despite being at work, because something needed to be done.

* * *

_AN: It's been a while and this is short, but I needed to get over some writer's block for this. Hopefully this means I'll start updating and writing for this a bit more now._

_I hope you enjoyed. Please review. :) LT. _


	6. Chapter 6

_Cracks in the Crystal_

_Six _

* * *

Vince McMahon walked back into the makeshift office with a glare set on his face. As he'd walked he'd thought over the situation at hand and had grown angry. If what Paul had said was true and he was inclined to believe it was; he couldn't understand how his daughter could be so stupid.

He knew for fact that Paul was nothing like Linda and probably would not forgive such an indiscretion. And if it was a full-blown affair? Well, he wasn't sure what it'd mean for their marriage, let alone what'd happen business wise. Paul had just told him he'd quit but Vince wasn't going to accept that, not right now at least. It was obvious the other man was angry and hurt; any decision he made now probably wouldn't be made with a clear head.

"Tell me you haven't been _fucking_ Orton," he blasted as soon as he saw his teary-eyed daughter.

Stephanie looked up in surprise as she heard her father's booming voice and winced as she processed his words. So Paul had obviously told him what was going on and she was actually a little surprised by the anger in his voice. He had no place to judge but she knew better then to say something because the look on his face was thunderous.

"Dad…I can't tell you that," she told him, taking a deep breath as she stood up from her perch against the table.

"How could you be so stupid Stephanie?" Vince sighed, shaking his head. "Do you realize Paul fucking quit out there? You should have known Paul wouldn't forgive something like this. Fucking hell Steph…and with Orton too? What is wrong with you?" Vince continued angrily, glaring at his daughter.

Stephanie's eyes widened at her father's words, surprised to say the least at his reaction. She knew he'd be disappointed in her but she didn't think he'd be so angry. She had messed up sure but she didn't think he had any right to be angry with her; after all, it's not like he'd never done the same.

Then it hit her; he had just said Paul had quit. Quit as in no longer wanting to work for the company kind of quit. Paul loved this company, loved this business almost as much as her father did and the thought of him quitting hit her hard. It hit her then how bad this whole situation really was and she realized she was foolish to think that they would be able to fix things soon.

"He quit?" she asked quietly, not really wanting to hear her father confirm it but knowing he would anyway.

"Yes, he did," Vince replied after a moment. He looked over his daughter and sighed, some of the anger he'd been feeling fizzling out. "I need to get the script changed for tonight. There isn't going to be any Authority for a few weeks. You two need to sort this out and if you can't…well…" He shrugged, not sure what else to tell his daughter. He looked her over again before sighing in disappointment and heading out of the room in the direction of creative.

* * *

Raw had finished an hour ago and Stephanie grudgingly made her way into the hotel bar, intent on drinking her pain away. Paul had not shown up again and he wasn't answering any of her calls. She wanted to pretend his phone had just run flat but all the calls had been sent straight to voicemail, which meant he was deliberately ignoring her.

She was upset but she hadn't cried; she'd cried enough in the last week and honestly, she had no one else to blame but herself. A part of her wished she could just blame Randy but she knew it wasn't entirely his fault either. He had never forced her to sleep with him, she'd done that all on her own free will.

Her own selfish vanity was to blame and the worst part was she couldn't even give Paul a real reason as to why she'd done it. She had always been attracted to Randy but she couldn't deny she worked with a lot of attractive men. Never before had she thought about sleeping with any of them, Paul being the obvious first exception.

The last few months it seemed, she'd lost her senses. Randy was a natural flirt but the past few months something had changed, it was like all his attention was focused on her and at first she'd been flattered. It wasn't like people hadn't found her attractive before and really; it'd been innocent to start with. She'd catch him looking at her hungrily, like all he wanted in the world was her and at first it had unnerved her.

Until it didn't.

She couldn't even remember the point it'd changed for her except that one moment she'd caught him staring at her and then she'd been wondering what exactly he could do with that mouth of his. She'd blushed bright red at the thought, shaking her head to dispel the idea but it'd already been too late, she was stuck on the thought. Since then her mind had betrayed her making her think about all the things Randy could do to her.

She had started flirting back despite her better judgment and for a while she had maintained that it was innocent even though she knew it wasn't. Paul had been in the back of her mind the whole time, her subconscious way of reminding her that what she was doing was wrong. Stephanie had known all along that even the flirting and the texting would hurt her husband yet she'd continued to do it because it hadn't actually been cheating.

That was what she'd been telling herself until the opportunity to actually have sex with Randy presented itself. She hadn't been able to resist, her self-control had been shot to pieces and she'd given in to temptation. Afterwards she had felt like an absolute bitch, feeling sick to her stomach that she had actually just cheated on Paul.

People liked to say that if you cheat, you don't truly love your partner but Stephanie had to disagree. She loved Paul more then anything, he really was the love of her life but Randy had been like an addiction in a way. He'd gotten into her head and under her skin and she'd let him, just like she'd been letting him fuck her.

It had to stop though; it never should have started in the first place. She never should have let his attention get to her head. It had though and now she was paying the price for her own foolish desires. She sighed in frustration, not knowing how she could even begin to fix anything especially when Paul wouldn't even answer her calls.

"Why did you tell Paul?" a voice asked from beside her, causing her to jump in surprise.

She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them slowly and turning to the man now sitting beside her at the bar. She winced a little as she saw the darkening skin around his cheek and eye, knowing it probably hurt like a bitch. She shrugged at his question though, not wanting to talk to him at the moment. All she wanted was to drown her sorrows in alcohol and that was what she was going to do.

"Not now Randy," she sighed, turning back to the drink in front of her.

* * *

_AN: Here's another chapter, a little longer. It was going to be longer but I thought it might be better to leave it to the next chapter. So on that note, I've also already written most of the next chapter too. Haha. I'm going to be focusing mainly on this story and A Beautiful Mess for the next little while because I would like to get them written and finished soon. Plus, I have a whole heap of free time at the moment. _

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Please review. :) LT._


	7. Chapter 7

_Cracks in the Crystal_

_Seven _

* * *

Randy had studiously ignored all questions about what had happened earlier in the day. It hadn't taken long at all for word to spread that he and Paul had gotten into it backstage and speculation was rife within the WWE. Anyone that'd asked had simply been told to fuck off because it was none of their Goddamn business and Randy was not about to let his personal life be aired out like that. Not to mention the kind of damage it'd do to Stephanie's reputation either.

It was why he was headed into the hotel bar; hopefully he'd be able to get away from the nosy little fuckers he worked with. He was also frustrated at the fact he hadn't been able to talk to Stephanie at all during the night. She had been unreachable all night and Randy was sure it had to have something to do with Vince.

The old man had basically read him the riot act when he'd finally gotten him alone and it'd taken everything Randy had to just stand there and take it. He hadn't exactly expected it but he was by no means surprised by it either. McMahon had been fuming and Randy wasn't quite stupid enough to say anything back to him for fear of losing his job.

He needed a drink desperately but as he saw Stephanie sitting by the bar he realized he needed to talk to her more. He made his way over to her quickly; glad the bar didn't have many people in it, surprising for this time of night honestly. He sat in the seat beside her, waiting for her to notice him but realized she wouldn't because she looked completely lost in thought.

"Why did you tell Paul?" he asked bluntly, watching as she took a moment to turn to him. He watched her wince and figured the bruise on his face looked pretty nasty at this point. He rolled his eyes in frustration however when she shrugged.

"Not now Randy," she told him and it angered him slightly.

"Yes now," he hissed out, turning to glare at her now. He wasn't really angry with her, he could never be angry with Stephanie truth be told but he was frustrated and annoyed and he just wanted an answer. "Why the fuck would you tell him? Everything was fine Steph…" he continued. He was genuinely confused about why she would tell her husband about them; it was something he never expected her to do. Even if things ended between them he had been sure they were a secret she'd take to her grave.

Stephanie took a long sip from her drink as she contemplated telling him the reason she'd told Paul. She hadn't planned on telling him but here he was asking her outright why she'd done it and she couldn't say no to him. That was the reason she was in this predicament honestly because she couldn't say no to him, even when she knew she should.

"I thought I might be pregnant Randy. I'm not, obviously," she gestured towards her drink as she spoke. "But it made me realize how stupid and selfish I was being. If I had been pregnant…I'm not sure I'd have told him. He'd have loved that baby and I wouldn't have known who the father was. Do you realize how wrong it is that I even thought about lying to him like that? That's not me Randy. I had to tell him," she told him softly, disgust and shame evident in her voice.

Randy sat there for a moment processing what she'd just told him. She had thought she could be pregnant? That was huge and he couldn't help but feel like she wasn't going to tell him if she had been. She could have been pregnant with his child and she wasn't even going to tell him and that hurt. He thought he meant at least something to her but it certainly wasn't feeling like it.

"You wouldn't have told me either," he stated, glaring at her again.

Stephanie rolled her eyes choosing not to answer him and instead finished off her drink. She took a deep breath turning to look at him fully, smiling sadly. "Randy it doesn't matter what I would or wouldn't have done. It's in the past...just like we need to be. We can't keep sleeping together anymore. I need to fix things with Paul and save my marriage and I can't do that if…we're still…doing what we were doing," she tells him as gently as she can.

She watches as he begins to glare at her again. She knew he wouldn't take this well but it had to end. There was no way she was going to continue putting her marriage in jeopardy, not anymore at least.

"Steph," he sighed, sounding almost pleading as he reached out to take her hand.

As soon as he touched her Stephanie felt her resolve weakening just a little. It was obvious Randy's feelings for her were deeper then just sex but that was all it was to her. He was something she shouldn't have but wanted anyway, emotions did not play a very big part in this for her.

"Don't do this Randy," she breathed, looking up at him knowingly.

Randy couldn't help himself; the thought of never having her again actually hurt him. He wanted far more then she would or could give to him but that didn't stop him from wanting her. He pressed his lips against her ear as he whispered to her.

"Just once more Steph. If you're really ending it, let me have you one last time."

Stephanie bit her lip at his words, a shiver running through her body as she pulled back a little. She knew she shouldn't, her life and marriage were already a mess; what would one more time really change though? She bit her lip as she looked at him, eyes connecting as she nodded her head.

"Okay."

* * *

_AN: Bet that was a surprise? Also, Steph is making a lot of bad decisions. _

_Hope you enjoyed. Please review. :) LT._


	8. Chapter 8

_Cracks in the Crystal_

_Eight _

* * *

Stephanie quietly made her way around the room, picking up her clothes and slipping them back on as quickly as she could. Once she was completely dressed she turned with a sigh to look at the bed and bit her lip as she let her gaze take in the man sleeping soundly. He looked happy and content in his sleep somehow and Stephanie couldn't help the guilt that racked her body as she realized she was the reason for that.

He had confessed his love for her without realizing it, thinking she'd been asleep obviously and she had done her best not to cringe. She had always known his feelings for her were more then just lust and attraction but as long as he hadn't said anything, she could pretend she wasn't being a complete and utter bitch. She could never give him everything he wanted and while a part of her hated what she was doing; another wouldn't allow her to stop.

She smiled sadly at his sleeping form, slipping out of the bedroom and then out of his hotel room quietly. She glanced around the hallway as she headed towards the elevators. It may have been almost 4 in the morning but that didn't mean she shouldn't be careful. It'd do no good for anyone involved if someone, somehow found out she'd been sneaking out of Randy Orton's hotel room this late at night.

Stepping onto the elevator she quickly ran a hand through her messy hair as she pressed the button for her floor. She looked at herself in the reflection of the elevator doors and she frowned at what she saw. She didn't look like herself, she looked and felt like an alternate version of herself and suddenly she just couldn't bear to look at her own reflection. She was disgusted with herself. How had she let this happen?

As the elevator stopped on her floor she breathed a sigh of relief, stepping out quickly and heading straight for her room. She wanted, no needed a shower to wash away the feeling of Randy on her. Regret washed through her, as it always did whenever she'd been with Randy and she couldn't help the hot tears that burned her eyes at her own stupidity. She unlocked her door hurriedly pushing it open as she wiped at her cheeks, not registering the light that was already on in the room.

"Where the fuck were you huh?"

Stephanie jumped as she heard her husband's voice and she looked up, eyes wide as she saw him sitting tensely on the couch. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as she looked at him, the guilt flooding through her quickly. He had come back and she'd been out fucking Randy. Again.

She was too stunned to speak as he continued on. "I came back to talk to you. I don't know why I fucking bothered," he growled angrily, looking her over with disgust.

Stephanie immediately shook her head, "Paul no, don't leave again," she begged, stepping closer to him, grabbing his hands to keep him from leaving.

"Why the fuck shouldn't I? You were obviously out fucking Orton," he scoffed, pushing her hands away. "What is it huh? Are you in love with him? Or do you just like being a whore? Is he bigger then me? Fuck, I _know_ he isn't bigger then me. Does he fuck you better then I do, is that it? How many times does he make you cum Stephanie? What is it?" he yelled angrily, stepping closer and closer until Stephanie was backed against the wall.

Tears streamed down her face as he yelled at her, shaking her head in a weak attempt to get him to stop. She had never, ever seen him this angry and even though any other person would be scared of him at this point; she knew he'd never hurt her. She wanted desperately to calm him down, to erase the anger and hurt she could see plain as day on his face.

"Paul, please," she cried, looking up at him pleadingly.

"Just answer me dammit," he shouted, slamming a hand against the wall behind her. "What the fuck is it huh? Am I not fucking good enough for you anymore? Don't you love me? Do I not give you enough attention? Do I not fuck you often enough? Does our life together mean fucking nothing? Why? Why Stephanie?" he continued angrily, tears burning in his eyes as he looked at her.

Stephanie's heart broke as she looked up at him and saw the devastation on his face. She didn't know what to say or how to answer him all she knew was she hated that she was the cause of his devastation and she hated herself for it. She wanted to ease his pain and so she did so the only way she knew how; she leant up and captured his lips in a kiss.

It took him a moment to register what was happening but when he did, he couldn't bear to push her away. Instead he kissed her roughly, pushing her back against the wall as he pressed himself against her. His hands palmed her waist for a moment before they started pulling her clothes off harshly, stripping her as fast as he could as he felt her hands doing the same.

He bit at her bottom lip and sucked at her tongue as his hands tightened on her waist before he lifted her up in the air and slammed her back against the wall. He didn't care at the moment how rough he was being with her; all he knew was that he wanted to fuck her until she forgot everything Orton had ever made her feel. He slipped his hands down to her ass, gripping tightly as he bit hurriedly down her neck, thrusting into her without warning.

Stephanie gasped loudly as she felt her husband push into her and tightened her arms and legs around his body. He was still angry, she could tell by the way he'd slammed her against the wall and bitten his way down her neck to suck on her collarbone. Her hands gripped his shoulders tightly and she was sure her nails would leave marks as he started to slam into her, her back banging against the wall.

Her eyes fell closed as she moaned and gasped loudly, her head tilting back to rest on the wall behind her. "Fuck Paul," she gasped out breathlessly as she opened her eyes a little to glance down at him.

"You're fucking _mine_ Stephanie," Paul growled out as he looked at her, his pace quickening as he fucked her harder.

Hearing his possessive words along with the way he was pounding into her Stephanie felt her body begin to tremble. She was close and with only a few more powerful thrusts he was sending her over the edge of pleasure as she cried out his name loudly. Her body was shaking with the intensity of her orgasm as he held her, continuing to slam into her hard. She clung to him still and it didn't take long before she heard him groan and felt him emptying himself inside her.

His hips continued to move, even as his pace decreased and he buried his head against her neck. He pressed a kiss to her sweaty skin as he held her there for a moment before he put her back down on her feet. He pulled out of her and pulled away, eyes closed tightly as he ran a hand over his face. He felt dirty as he remembered where she'd been and whom she'd fucked before him.

"I need a shower," he grumbled, not looking at her at all as he headed towards the bathroom.

Stephanie watched him on shaky legs as she leant against the wall; tears still welled up in her eyes. He couldn't even look at her and that hurt Stephanie more then she thought it could. Her arms wrapped around her body as she suddenly felt insecure and used; he'd fucked her like they didn't even know each other and then walked off. It didn't feel right and she couldn't help the tears that started to fall.

She didn't know if anything would ever be right with them again.

* * *

_AN: I know a few of you have been wanting angry sex, so here it is. :)_

_Now to my latest reviewer; Divorce. Since you reviewed as a guest, this is the only way to respond._

_1\. Fuck the author? Honey this is my story and if you don't like it or don't agree with what I do in it? You don't have to read it. No one is forcing you to read a story you do not like._

_2\. Punished physically and emotionally? What do you want to happen to them? Do you want them stoned to death for infidelity? The world is not that black and white and that's not the world they live in. Everyone is human and being punished 'physically and emotionally' isn't always the way the world works._

_3\. Can you really trust ring rat reports? Let's be honest, any ring rat reports would have been from the 90's at least. There's no way he would've fucked around with ring rats once he started dating Stephanie. He's not that stupid. If he was going to cheat on Stephanie McMahon it would not be with ring rats and he's smart enough to keep it locked up tight. No one would know, that's for sure. He wouldn't risk his future and his family for a pathetic little fuck. Not to mention, 11 inches? You'd be able to see that through his ring gear. _

_4\. Fill the hole which Trips widened? You obviously know nothing about female anatomy. A woman's vagina can't be 'widened' or 'loosened' by a dick. If Trips really is as big as you think (doubtful) she may have stretched a little over the years. BUT, giving birth to three children is more likely to have changed her vagina then continuous sex with Triple H has. Vaginas pretty much snap back to their original size no matter what's been put into it. _

_So, guest reviewer Divorce, if you want to come into my reviews spewing your idiotic crap again, please don't bother. I'd much rather you silently seethe about how horrible the story is then letting me and everyone else see how narrow minded you actually are._

_Anyway! Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. Please review. :) LT._


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